hope

"Do you know that at the end of the rainbow you could see Irish dancing, and you could get a lot of money" (L.)

I do not know anything about that but I am certain that it was our lucky day to see two rainbows at the same time. Is it a sign? Or maybe perhaps just out of pure luck that we could see them. To me, seeing these two perfectly gorgeous rainbows has a significant meaning to me.

Hope.

Yes, hope indeed. These rainbows give me hope. In the spur of that moment, I know I still have hope.

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today" (Thich Nhat Hanh).


Smile. Love. Persevere.

it finally happened

"I knew it. It finally happened."

It was a drizzly morning. Being soggy wet was not on my to-do list on a moody Monday. As usual, I went to the gym but it was earlier this time, around half past ten in the morning. After five minutes on the trotter, the next thing I knew I felt a sharp pain on my chest. I did not want to stop.

"You have to stop this time," a little voice told me in my head.

I stopped, and I was grasping for air. The next thing I knew, I fell and hit my head on the floor. I was sobbing when I sat back up. My heart beat violently. I knew this will happen one day, and it did. I was sent to the ER. I had my blood pressure and blood sugar checked. I had an EKG and X-ray too. The doctor told me that everything seemed okay. I knew there is something wrong because I would not get all those chest pains for no reasons. Therefore, I had a Holtcher attached to my heart in order to monitor my heart for the next 48 hours.

"This is bullshit! You scared me to tears" (L).
"WengTze, look at me. You need to eat and stop exercising" (T).
"WengTze, you are perfect. You don't need to lose weight anymore" (Mr. B).
"You need to eat more old lady" (S).
"You don't have any fat to lose. Just eat" (T).
"I told you so. You should eat more meat" (J).
"Just eat healthy, and you can lose weight. Look at me" (Y).
"When you want to eat just eat" (W).
"Haih...Eat more" (D).
"Eat more meat. You don't need to lose weight anymore" (Q).
"What happaned? Please eat more" (M).

 L cooked my meals and monitored my eating habits. I could not thank her more for going through all those fuss for me. At 3 pm this afternoon, I had visitors. I was delighted and ecstatic to see them. I knew I made them worried, especially the ones who are in Malaysia and could not be with me right now.

"WengTze, it's time for you to change. No one is perfect."


Smile. Love. Persevere.

=)

Looking at these photos make me smile. These photos were taken a year ago. Time flies.

I wish I have a time machine.

 

 

Smile. Love. Persevere.

the two of us

"So I guess I will stuck with you a few more years."
"Shoot!"

Here I am in the states, and it has almost been one and a half year. With no doubt, friends come and go out of my life here. However, there are some friendships which stay forever in my heart. My friendship with L is one of those friendships. We have different personalities, tastes, hobbies, interests, majors, studying habits...and yes virtually in everything. But, we get along real well. We are the yin and yang in Mount Carmel. Au contraire! We think that this is why we get along so well together.

I still remember the first time we met. L was the one who told me everything about 3rd st. From choosing my bedroom to where I could put my belongings in the bathroom. My first impression was L would be easy to click with. It turned out to be true. Sometimes, I felt that it is destiny that I met her here in the right time and the right place. Last summer, she had the thought of not coming back to Mount Carmel but to stay in New Jersey. However, she came back. Fate brought us to be house mates.

Technically, I stay with L for three semesters. It is my pleasure to stay with L. We had a lot of fun. From bliss nights and movie nights. We did everything we could just to have some fun in this lifeless and boring town. L is the one who would do anything just to save money and yet I am the one who spend on everything I have. She is the one who could help me to control my spendings. Thanks to her, I am more aware of my reckless shopping habits.

She is the one I would harassed whenever I need to make some noise in the apartment. She is my listener and my shopping buddy. We share gossips every now and then. Most importantly, she is guileless and forthright in giving her opinions and advice to me.  

L introduced this snack to me in which she claimed to 

call boopies. It has chocolate cake with marshmallow on 

the inside and coconut grates on the outside.

Her favorite fruit, coconut.

We will be attending the same university after we graduate from Wabash Valley College. Is it a coincidence?

Fate does all the work. 

"We need to buy a refrigerator and a microwave for our dorm."

"Okay. By the way, why we think about that so soon? We haven't even graduate yet."

"Sushi."

Smile. Love. Persevere.

new habits

After staying in America for nearly one and a half year, I espied that I have developed some new habits. Here goes the list. 

1. I have to bring my laptop to college.

2. I have to browse shopping sites daily.

3. I love to listen to Korean songs.

4. I procrastinate frequently.

5. I have to listen to music even when I am taking a shower. (we have speakers in the bathroom) 

6. I love to eat vegetables.

7. I love to pay by debits cards instead of cash.

8. I stalk people in facebook.

9. I use vulgar words in different languages.

10. I love to take photos of objects in near distance.

One of my random photos

Smile. Love. Persevere.

diy green tea latte

I have been a huge fan of green tea. So recently, I have decided to buy Matcha instead of green tea bags. What is Matcha? Matcha is green tea in powdery form which is used for drinking as tea or used in recipes. Matcha consists of whole green tea leaves which are finely-milled into powder form. Therefore, technically I am consuming whole green leaves, which means that I do not need to waste any green tea leaves unlike tea bags which I will throw the tea leaves away.

I bought this starter kit from ebay. The kit consists of a 80g packet of Matcha, a bamboo chasen (whisk), and  a chashaku scoop. I was thrilled. Matcha tastes bitter but is alluring, and I enjoyed it very much. I tried to make my very own green tea latte too. 

This is the texture of Matcha.

I added hot water to the powder and whisked it.

Now I have the green tea base for my latte.

Next, I added warm milk to the base.

Ta-da! I made my very own green tea latte. I should steam and froth my milk. However, I do not have a frother. I am thinking to invest on a good one. Since I am just a beginner now, I was well satisfied with my green tea latte. I also added some honey to my latte for some extra sweetness. 

I sat back and enjoyed watching free online movie while sipping on my green tea latte. It was blissful enough for me to spend my Tuesday night. 

Smile. Love. Persevere.

some things never change

Back in 2009

Currently in 2011

As I scrolled through my photos, I just realized that I have two photos which have the exact same pose. My mouth was wide opened, and I was about to put food into my mouth. There are definitely differences between the two photos. It is an undeniable fact. I dyed my hair and cut it short. I put make up on. I was wearing a jacket. However, some things never change.

I still have a huge appetite, and I still love to eat. Period.

I still love chemistry. Period.

I still scream and yell for no reason.

I still love to read.

I still love to talk. 

I still love popiah, nasi lemak, roti canai, laksa, har mee, and the list goes on. 

I still love secondary school life.

I still love to be a treasurer. 

I still love to write notes and stick them on my door.

I still love to take long showers.

I still love to bake.

I still love to be a listener.

I still love to cry alone in my bedroom.

I still love to take long walks.

I still love to day dream. 

I still find difficulty in rejecting others. 

I still find it difficult to let go of something which hurt me whenever I thought about it.

I still love to be a perfectionist even though it is wearing me out.

I guess some things will never ever change no matter what because those things make me WengTze.

Smile. Love. Persevere.